It was Saturday, the evening before Mothering Sunday and I was chatting to my husband as we ate dinner. We were discussing the Mothers’ Day tradition of handing out posies of flowers to all women at church. “I really don’t think it’s a good idea,” I explained. “I worry that the positives about giving flowers […]
Repainting life with your teeth
20th March, 2012 2
When I was twelve, I was asked to give a book review to the rest of the class. It was supposed to be on our favourite book. Lots of other girls stood up and talked about Black Beauty, Charlotte’s Webb, Enid Blyton books. When it was my turn, I went to the front of the […]
This Should Not Be
15th March, 2012 11
I have always had a passion for issues of justice. I have this on good authority from my parents. (Apparently I used to say, ‘That’s not fair!’ a lot. Obviously, some may translate this as a small child being annoyed at not getting her own way. I myself prefer to see it as an early […]
M.E. – Relapses and mountain climbing
7th March, 2012 21
M.E. is a relapsing-remitting illness, much like M.S. This means that there are times when the body suddenly ‘crashes’, with a worsening of symptoms and an increase of disability. This is a relapse. Remission for me is not like cancer remission, where there are no symptoms at all. Rather it means that the symptoms are […]
Forgiveness and Forgetfulness
29th February, 2012 2
Last night I told my husband (slightly sheepishly) that I had bought some MORE children’s books. I like to buy children’s books and my boy likes to read them. It is not just a purchase, it is an Investment. So I am reasonably sure that although we didn’t discuss this purchase together beforehand (as we […]
Learning to trust
23rd February, 2012 56
What does it mean to trust in God? This is my story of my exploration of this issue over the past two years. Before I got pregnant, I was moderately ill with M.E. This meant that I only had enough energy to work 2 hours a day (10 hours per week) and my mobility was […]
I am not heroic
16th February, 2012 26
The best book I’ve read this year is “Suite Francaise” by Irene Nemirovsky, about the French occupation during the Second World War. She was writing in 1942, living in wartime France. It was unfinished, because she was taken to Auschwitz before she had a chance to complete it. Her notebooks have only recently been discovered. […]
Easily broken
10th February, 2012 5
Last week I broke my iPad. Anyone who owns any Apple product will already be inwardly shuddering, but let me spell out the scale of this catastrophe for the uninitiated: It was not just any Apple product, but my NEW shiny iPad, bought for as a gift for Christmas. I use it every day for […]
